Solutions that don’t break the bank, reinvent the wheel or marginalize our teachers are within our grasp. We could have rigorous classes, safe and disciplined schools and treat teachers like valued colleagues rather than easily replaceable cogs, and we could do so tomorrow if we wanted. Disclaimer, this is an opinion and commentary site and should not be confused as a news site. Also know that quite often people may disagree with the opinions posted.

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Tuesday, July 2, 2013

The crackalackin’ crazy things that Gary Chartrand says

Gary Chartrand was on First Coast Connect today and after a
while I didn’t know if I was listening to a radio program or to softball
practice. The toughest question Melissa Ross asked him was, how are you today?

Here are the lowlights.

When talking about why Common Core was important he said,
so when a kid moves from Idaho to Florida they will be learning the same thing.
Please forgive me but haven’t kids been moving and switching schools since
there were kids and schools. Oh goodness how did we put a man on the moon? If
this is the reason we need common core we need to slow down and rethink things.

He did say that common core will lead to more creativity in
our schools unfortunately when a listener called in and asked him for an
example he couldn’t come up with one. Hey Gary we expect better form someone
who was once top 50 in grocery store news and who now leads our schools.
Couldn’t you have at least made something up, like you do when talking about
TFA, KIPP or the class size amendment?

Gary Chartand then opined about our poorest neighborhoods
and how we need to do all we can to help them. You know the opposite of what
his darling Teach for America does or by helping them does he mean, putting
rookie teachers without an education background and only 5 weeks of training
into those schools where they only serve a two year commitment. If that is the case, please, please stop
helping!

Then he used lies, damn lies and statistics to sell his
public schools suck point. He said internationally we rank in the mid twenties
in reading. Oh Gary, maybe if so many of your TFA recruits weren’t in our
challenged schools we would be doing better.
The truth is when you factor out poverty, shh, he doesn’t like to hear
abut it, our scores zoom to the top. As I mentioned above thing like facts and context are immaterial to him.